His and Hers V
His and Hers is a question or discussion topic relating to marriage that I post every Tuesday or Wednesday (though I forgot to do that this week). On Friday, my wife and I each write our thoughts on the topic. I invite other bloggers to do the same with their spouses as an exercise in celebrating marriage. This week's question is:
What is one thing that surprised you about being married?
Curt's response
When I got married, I thought it was probably the most stunning and significant event the world had ever seen. I had spent a few years thinking that I would never find a woman willing to marry me, and for some reason I thought that everyone else in the world—even people who had never met me—agreed with that conclusion. So when I found a woman who actually wanted to build a life with me, I felt the foundation of the earth rock. For several months before my wedding and several months after, I would tell people of my engagement/marriage and expect them to react with uncontainable joy and amazement, and it always surprised me when they took the news in stride. All statements of congratulations were offered with little more than a period and a handshake rather than the exclamation point and celebratory dance I anticipated. It's been almost six years since then, and I've come to accept such nonchalance in others. But my mind and spirit still do a praise-God-for-His-blessings dance every time I think about the wonderful woman He put in my life.
Mrs. Happy's response
By the time Curt and I got married, his parents and sister already knew me and had grown to love me. After we got married, I started meeting his extended family. What surprised me was how they all reacted to me. Upon meeting me, every single aunt, uncle, and cousin invariably embraced me as if in an outpouring of love that had been building up their entire lives. They immediately accepted me as family and treated me with affection before I had ever done anything to warrant that. It made me uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of what I considered an unjustified love. I thought they should at least get to know me before thinking that I'm such a wonderful person. Over the years, I have grown to understand and appreciate it more, but it really surprised me at first.
